Limited and VOD Releases: The Week is Soft like Velvet

February 1, 2019

Velvet Buzzsaw

It is not a great week for limited releases. There are some that are certainly worth checking out, like Braid and The Wild Pear Tree. However, the film earning the loudest buzz, Velvet Buzzsaw, is only earning good reviews and not great reviews, but that should be good enough for Netflix.

Arctic - Reviews
 Mads Mikkelsen stars as a man who survives a plane crash in the arctic. When the first rescue attempt fails, he has to decide whether or not to stay at his camp for another rescue attempt, one that might not come, or try and trek to safety. The film’s reviews could be enough to thrive in limited release. Mads Mikkelsen does give the film better drawing power that most films on this week’s list.

Braid - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Two wanted women need some money to get away and decide to rob their childhood friend, a friend who had a mental breakdown and now lives in the fantasy world they created as kids. It seems like an easy job, only their friend’s mental illness has gotten a whole lot more dangerous since they were kids. This film’s reviews are among the best of the weekend, but I fear it is too out there even for the art house circuit.

Daughter of Mine - Reviews
 Vittoria is a 10-year old girl who learns the woman she thought was her mother isn’t her real mother. In fact, her real mother is the local party girl. This woman is about to move away for a job and wants to spend time with her daughter before she leaves. The film’s Tomatometer Score is 83% positive, but its average review score is just 6.4 out of 10, so while most critics like it, few love it and that will likely result in a weak box office run in limited release.

Piercing - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Christopher Abbott plays a serial killer who leaves on a “business trip” in order to kill someone and get the urges out of his system. However, he runs into a prostitute, played by Mia Wasikowska, and she turns out to be more than she first appeared. The reviews are merely good, but not good enough for limited release. They are good enough for VOD, on the other hand.

Then Came You - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Asa Butterfield plays a hypochondriac who thinks everything is going to kill him. He then meets Skye, a teenager with an actual terminal illness. He helps her complete her bucket list, while she helps him live a little. The reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. Then again, they are just fine for a VOD rental.

The Unicorn - Reviews
 Lauren Lapkus and Nicolas Rutherford play a couple who think they’ve learned the secret to a successful relationship, but when they try to implement it, it doesn’t go as well as they had hoped. The reviews are good, but it is playing on VOD starting on Tuesday, so if you want to watch it, you just have to wait a few days to skip going to the theaters.

Velvet Buzzsaw - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A satirical horror film about the art world. This film is earning the loudest buzz on this week’s list, but its reviews are merely good and not great. Furthermore, it is playing on Netflix, so its box office chances are even weaker.

The Wild Pear Tree - Reviews
 A recent college graduate returns to his home town hoping to write his novel. This is the best-reviewed release of the week, but it is a foreign-language film, so it likely won’t expand beyond the art house circuit.

Secondary VOD Releases:
An Affair to Die For - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Breath Away - Reviews - Video on Demand
Painkillers - Reviews - Video on Demand
Some weeks, there are films on the list of Secondary VOD releases that look like undiscovered gems. Not this week.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, The Unicorn, Dans la brume, Arctic, Ahlat Agaci, Figlia mia, Then Came You, Piercing, Braid, Velvet Buzzsaw, An Affair to Die For, Painkillers, Asa Butterfield, Mads Mikkelsen, Mia Wasikowska, Christopher Abbott, Nicolas Rutherford, Lauren Lapkus, Maisie Williams, Sara Casu